Nightingale
by LadyLoki89
Summary: Two realms are about to become aware of each other, and two kingdoms are about to meet, one in need of a king, the other a home to a king blinded by the desire to keep his people isolated. A deadly weapon that's remained hidden for the past 25 years is about to awaken, and the fate of those two kingdoms will be threatened. (Full summary inside)
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **The prologue is exactly the same as it was before, so those of you who already read it before I took this story down for revisions, there's no changes. The summary, however, has changed.

**Summary:** AU takes place after "The Dark World," in which Loki and Thor both return from Svartalfheim. A rift was open in another realm, and in an effort to save his cursed daughter, a wood elf defied the king's orders and cast her into the rift to sending her where she would never be found. 25 years later, the threat of war has been foreseen. Two realms are about to become aware of each other, and two kingdoms are about to meet, one in need of a king, the other a home to a king blinded by the desire to keep his people isolated. A deadly weapon that's remained hidden for the past 25 years is about to awaken, and the fate of those two kingdoms will be threatened.  
**Warnings:** Sex, Violence, Language

* * *

**P****rologue**

"They are coming!"

The fussing bundle in Thinor's arms grew louder as he attempted to calm it while throwing a few things together into a basket. "The midwife told King Thranduil about her eyes. He's ordered her immediate execution. You'll need to make haste," he said over the newborn's screams. "Once the rift is open, you'll only have a moment to get through."

"I cannot run. I'll never reach it in time," Hannel replied from where she sat, the exhaustion and pain from giving birth barely an hour ago overwhelming her. "You will have to take her."

"I will not leave you here!"

"It's her only chance!" she urged. In the distance, voices and footfalls could be heard, and Hannel looked to her husband with a firm expression. "Do not worry about me. Take her now or it will be too late!"

Thinor hesitated, but he knew she was right. If he didn't move fast, his daughter would surely die. Kissing Hannel farewell, he took off into the night, clutching the basket containing the crying newborn tightly.

Within moments of his passing, soldiers barged into Hannel's chambers, finding her sitting alone in her bed, grinning in her bittersweet victory. The guards stepped aside, allowing King Thranduil access to her, and once he saw the child was gone looked down at her, asking in an almost bored tone, "Where is the monster?"

"Somewhere you will never find her," Hannel answered, smiling. "And I will never tell."

Sighing, Thranduil turned to his guard, uttering two simple words. "Kill her." As he stepped out, he heard the sound of the soldier's sword slowly being drawn from it's sheath, and he turned to the ones that remained. "Find them."

It was not long before Thinor heard the hoof falls of horses, but whatever Hannel had done to buy him time, it was sufficient enough, for he was there. Reaching into his shirt, he drew out a glowing white crystal and began to speak the incantation as fast as he could.

The soldiers were drawing closer, but he focused on his words, pouring all his energy into them, and before long a white stream shown down, tearing open and revealing a portal.

"Stop them!" one of the soldiers cried. Bows twanged loudly as Thinor stepped through, and in a blink the portal was gone.

The soldiers stopped, staring at the space where the elf and his child had been standing mere seconds ago, and exchanged glances. "We must report back to King Thranduil!" the captain shouted, and they obeyed, turning their horses around and retreating back into the forest.

* * *

"Dead?" Thranduil asked from atop his throne. "Are you quite certain?"

"Yes, my lord," the captain replied, kneeling before him.

"And yet I see no corpse nor infant before me. Am I to simply take you at your word?" He got to his feet, swiftly standing before him and bending over so their eyes met.

"I shot him as he stepped through the rift," the captain explained, removing an arrow from his quiver and holding it up for Thranduil to inspect. Thranduil removed the arrow from his hand and looked it over, sniffing the tip before his eyes darted back down to the captain.

"Poison?" he asked.

"Aye," replied the captain. "I saw an arrow go into Thinor before he stepped through. He'll be dead before he reaches the other side, and his squalling infant will not stand a chance."

Thranduil looked over the arrow again, pondering the captain's information, before finally casting it aside dismissively. "It is no matter then," he replied, returning to his throne.

"My lord... what of the rift Thinor opened? Should we not find how he managed that?"

"If he is truly dead as you claim, then I see no need," he answered, crossing one leg atop the other. "As it stands, he was the only one who knew how to open it in the first place. The monster will not know, even if it were to survive."

"But my lord-"

"It is already done, Captain," Thranduil stated impatiently. "As long as that thing can never return, I care not where it now resides." The captain nodded, knowing better than to argue with his king.

"Aye," he said, and Thranduil dismissed him.

* * *

A startling sight was waiting for Bill Langden when he returned home from work that night. Laying a few feet from his door, was the body of a fully grown man, dressed like nothing he'd ever seen before, and laying in a handwoven wicker basket at his fingertips, was a crying infant with a glowing white crystal around her neck.

But what confused him most of all was a note of caution that had been tucked away in the basket:

"Never let her sing."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

From the day Bill found the tiny screaming bundle laying in a basket at the fingertips of a strange man, who had apparently met his untimely end with the pierce of an arrow, he somehow knew he had to take in the little girl. It was not the pressure of obligation nor overwhelming sympathy that caused him to make this decision. He was in his late 20's, had just completed his degree in mortuary science, and was not a father himself. He had no wife or lover to speak of, and he certainly knew nothing of infants.

But when he held the helpless creature in his arms for the first time and looked into her glowing violet eyes as her little face scrunched with cries, he was overcome with the desire to protect her. He could never really explain it, not to his family,nor to any of the social workers or judges he had to face while going through the adoption procedure. Some wondered if he'd simply had his fill of studying corpses and wanted to invite some life into his world of death. All he really knew was simply in that moment when he heard her voice and saw her face for the first time, he knew he needed to care for her.

So care for her, he did.

For a new and single father, he did remarkably well with the newborn. He impressed others with his ability to knew immediately each and every one of her cries. With a single sound, he knew when she was hungry, when she needed to be changed, when her belly ached, when she was over stimulated, or when she was simply being stubborn. They say that as you spend time with your baby you start to learn their every cry. While that claim tends to be preposterously exaggerated at best, Bill knew from the very beginning what her every cry was for.

Perhaps he just had a knack for it all this time and hadn't known it? He'd tossed the thought around in his head, but a part of him knew it had to be something more than that.

His ability to know her every need was not the only unusual thing he noticed early on. The color of the child's eyes were in fact the very first thing he noticed. There were times when her irises would flicker a bright violet color and begin to glow. When he'd first found her, they were glowing very brightly, and it wasn't until he cradled her to his chest and began to whisper to her that the glow slowly faded. Fear seemed to be what brought it on, he thought. Though it wasn't a common fear that brought it on, as over the years the child would have many as she grew and learned. It was only when she seemed to think she was in danger that her eyes began to glow.

Her eyes were his first clue that she was not entirely human, but her ears left no question in his mind that she was truly different. They were pointed, much like the ears of the dead man that had been found laying near her, and while it had been quickly shrugged off as some sort of abnormal genetic defect, he never agreed with that assumption.

Given the manner of her arrival, he should have suspected that she would be far from normal, but he was never fully prepared for what his new found fatherhood would bring him through her.

He first discovered her love of music when she was just beginning to walk. He had known music calmed her and helped her fall asleep as an infant, and had often plucked away a few tunes on his guitar for her at night just to calm her fussing. But once she was able to move around on her feet, he began to really see her express her love for it. He would play for her and she would bounce, sway, and giggle, slowly learning how to dance and move in rhythm with the sounds she loved so much. As her love of music surfaced, he thought often of the message of warning he'd found on her and pondered its meaning.

It was not long before the answer presented itself.

It began with an odd sort of flutter accompanied quickly with startled screams followed by a crash. Dropping the plate he'd been washing, Bill darted up the stairs, throwing the door to Noel's bedroom open to find the child had backed herself into a corner, and was staring wide-eyed at two birds, trotting across her floor and fluttering their wings, the both of them looking utterly confused as to how they had come to be in her room in the first place.

He would have assumed they had flown in through the window... had the window not been closed.

Opening it, he quickly startled the birds towards it, until they discovered the opening and retreated into the outdoors. A few days later, he would read in the paper that a new species of bird had been discovered close by.

A few months passed, and Bill found himself downstairs, enjoying his morning coffee, when Noel's voice rang out beautifully from her bedroom, singing along to the radio. The sound brought a smile to his face, as it always did. The occasions she would sing were rare, but when she did, the happiness she felt in her songs were contagious and it made him wonder all the more why anyone would discourage it.

The song, however, was cut short when the sounds of something trampling around her floor began to thud above his head, and once again he could hear Noel's startled screaming. Scrambling up the stairs, he threw open the door once again, only this time to have a full grown buck dart past him and stumble down the stairs in a panic.

He stared down the hall, absolutely dumbstruck, then looked back to Noel, who sat on her bed and looked just as confused as he was.

It was nearly a year before she sang again, but he woke in the middle of the night to the sound of singing coming from her bedroom. His lips curved into a smile as he climbed out of bed, wandering to her bedroom door to cautiously squat and listen, afraid if she knew he was listening, she'd stop.

_"There is a castle on a cloud,_  
_I like to go there in my sleep,_  
_Aren't any floors for me to sweep,_  
_Not in my castle on a cloud..."_

He blinked in surprise. He hadn't sung that song to her in years, and as far as he knew she had never seen Les Miserables in either it's cinematic form or the play. Yet there she was, singing every single word perfectly, and he ignored the question of _how_ in exchange for simply enjoying the sound of her voice.

When a bright light began to glow from the crack at the base of the door, his brow furrowed.

* * *

"My Lord Thranduil?"

The elvenking's eyes stared off into the distance as he stood just before the palace gates. The guards had just drawn open the doors and were now standing aside to grant him entrance, but before he'd set a single foot forward, he had frozen in mid-step, something in the woods capturing his attention.

"My Lord?" repeated the guard, watching him curiously.

Without looking at him, Thranduil answered, "I hear a child."

* * *

_"I know a place where no one's lost,  
I know a place where no one cries,  
Crying at all is not allowed..."  
_

Noel's voice halted as she became aware of the bright glow coming from the stone she wore around her neck, and as the glow grew in intensity, it bathed the wall across from her in a light that slowly faded until she could clearly see an image spread within its borders.

Within the image, she could see a forest covered in gloom and spider webs. There were no creatures roaming about, nor could she hear the sounds of any birds. The longer she looked at it the more she could feel a sadness begin to overwhelm her causing a sinking feeling in her chest.

A breeze blew from the image, brushing past her face, and a few stray dead leaves skittered through, coming to a stop a few feet from the foot of her bed. Reaching down, she picked on up, pinching it between her fingers to feel it crack and break, and as she looked up, that was when she saw him.

A tall man dressed in silver robes with long pale blonde hair and frozen blue eyes.

The man stared at her from the depths of the forest, seeming completely perplexed by her, and she stared back with the same amount of awe and confusion. The thought of climbing out of bed and approaching him crossed her mind, but there was something inhuman about him and it made her feel overly cautious. The image began to fade, and she sat still and watched as he continued to stare at her, possibly wondering if it were wise to approach her.

Before the man had a chance to decide, something stepped into view between the two of them, moving ever closer to the edge dividing the forest and her bedroom. Her eyes widened in fear and she could see the violet glow reflect itself off her nose and illuminate her bed sheets.

A giant spider was nearing her bedroom.

"Daddy!" she screamed.

It was barely a second before the door flew open, and Bill stepped in, freezing when he saw the glow in Noel's eyes. Terrified, the child pointed to the wall across from her, and he turned his head in time to see the image of the forest disappear, but not fast enough to prevent the creature from crawling through.

Bill gave a startled shout, stumbling backwards as the spider took a few curious steps, it's black eyes working their way towards the bed and on to the little girl who scooted herself as far back as she could reach on the bed.

"Hang on, Noel!" Bill called, and he began to search the room for something he could use to protect her.

Picking up the standing lamp at the other end of the room, he tore it free from the outlet it was plugged into, and took a swing at the monster. The spider was knocked away from the bed, and made an odd chittering noise as it worked its way back up to its legs, turning away from Noel and setting its eyes on Bill.

Bill's heart began to pound, realizing the spider's body was a lot tougher than he had anticipated, and he turned for the kitchen, running down the stairs as fast as he could while listening for the sounds of the spider pursuing him, making sure it had not chosen to stay in the room with Noel.

Once he entered the kitchen, he reached for the butcher block, pulling out the largest knife he could, and he turned, throwing it as hard as he could at the spider's face. The knife embedded itself right into the head, and with a screech, the spider dropped, falling to its side as its legs curled beneath it.

Bill stood frozen, his heart still pounding away as he stared in horror at the size of creature, hardly able to believe what lay before him. A million questions raced through his mind all at once, but before he could ponder the possible answers he heard the light thud above him of Noel jumping from her bed, followed by the footsteps of her running down the stairs. The light from her eyes illuminated the kitchen while coming to a rest on the spider's carcass, and she stared at it for several silent moments until the light began to fade with the understanding that the spider was now very dead.

"Daddy!" she cried, running to Bill who held his arms out to scoop Noel into his arms. "I'm sorry!" she began to sob. "I didn't mean to do it!"

"Honey, it's not your fault," Bill hushed, rubbing the child's back as he wondered what on earth she was apologizing for. As she clung to him, he felt something hard between the two of them dig into his collarbone, and he gently coaxed her to sit upright in his arms so he could see what was being crushed into him.

When his eyes fell on the white stone, which was still barely glowing, he blinked, reaching for it and holding it up to better look at it. "Where did you find this?" he asked.

"In your dresser," she answered. "I thought it was pretty so I took it."

Bill frowned and removed it from her neck, beginning to suspect that whatever was causing the strange events that had been taking place in her room were somehow tied to her singing and the strange glowing stone.

"I'm going to lock this away," he said to her. "And I want you to promise me you won't go looking for it. Okay?"

"Okay," she said with a nod, and he sighed, hugging the child close to him once more, silently thanking the heavens he had managed to get to her fast enough.

As he released her, his eyes moved back to the spider and he sighed, not wanting the attention a discovery like this would bring to him and Noel. "Sweetheart," he whispered. "Run into the garage and get the shovel."

Thranduil stared into the forest with disbelief and fear.

He had seen the violet glow of her eyes before she had disappeared, and he had seen the veil between their worlds open. His hands clenched into fists as the meaning of all this sunk in.

The monster was alive, and she now had means of entering his world.

Turning, he fled back to palace, angrily ordering the guards to search the abandoned home they had ransacked only a few years ago. "We need any information the fool kept documented about the rift and how to open it immediately," he commanded. "The creature cannot be allowed to enter Mirkwood. We will attack her where she sleeps and finish what should have been done five years ago."

The guards bowed in obedience and marched off to complete his orders.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The first crash rang out from above as Noel sat in front of the mirror, the people around her looking up from their cosmetic cases and costumes in confusion as to what was going on. Before long, there came another crash, followed quickly by the sounds of screaming, and Noel jumped from her seat in alarm.

"What's happening?" someone asked near her.

"It's coming from outside," said another.

There was a long pause as the cast members of the community theater stood frozen in terror as they listened to the assault being launched above them, each of them silently wondering the same question. Do they dare check?

Taking a deep breath, Noel made her way to the door and reached for the knob.

"Are you crazy?!" called one of her fellow cast mates behind her. "You don't know what's going on out there!"

Ignoring the frightened actress, she turned the knob and cautiously began her ascent up the stairs. Down the halls, there was no sign of anything, but as she approached the main exit, she could hear the commotion growing louder and saw the fluster of civilians running for their lives past the windows. Whatever was out there, it had the whole of London in a panic.

Moving slowly, and keeping her eyes open for dangers, she pushed open the doors and took a step outside.

Immediately, she was nearly knocked over as a pedestrian ran carelessly by her, not watching where he was going, and as she recovered, her eyes met with the alarming sight of what appeared to be a giant ship, embedding itself in the center of town. The very scene made her think of something from science fiction, but this was real, and whatever lay inside she strongly doubted had friendly intentions with her, or anyone else that crossed its path.

Before long, the doors to the shuttle opened, and creatures began spilling out, swarming the streets with their weapons drawn, and among them, the one she could only assume was their commander, strode forward, half his face black and appearing to be burned and his eyes dark yet glowing. The very sight of him gripped her heart with fear, and instinct took over as she turned, fleeing back into the theater, screaming to the few cast members who had mustered the courage to follow her, "Bar the doors!"

From outside, Thor landed roughly to the ground, several feet before Malekith, his hammer clutched tightly in his hand, and after a brief exchange of threats, the two of them were locked in combat. From the distance, Loki watched, grimacing as he held his torso. He was hardly in any shape to fight, but he'd refused to remain behind and be useless. So instead he stood, his dagger drawn, as he surveyed the battlefield, deciding what his best course of action was.

Of course and strategizing he might have accomplished, was completely thrown out the window the moment Jane intervened from the top of a nearby building, beginning to madly open portals and seal them, sending several of the soldiers to god only knows where. He cringed. Having to use brawn over brains was not his specialty.

As he looked around him, his eyes caught something odd.

He wasn't entirely sure if he had seen it correctly, as what he'd seen had quickly retreated back inside the building it had cautiously wandered out from. A brief flash of violet? Rarely did his eyes play tricks on him, though this time he was unsure. Deciding there was nothing of use he could contribute to the battle, Loki headed for the building, where already a group of dark elves were beginning to encroach, in pursuit of the strange woman.

* * *

"My lord, Thranduil! Something strange is happening in the forest!"

Thranduil looked up from his throne, his mind having been lost in thought as the familiar tones of music long unheard played through his memory, and his eyes fell on Tauriel as she drew herself upwards from kneeling.

"What's happened?" he inquired.

"We're unsure, what it is, my lord, but there was a strange flash and out of nowhere these creatures appeared and began to attack."

At this, the elvenking rose from his throne. "Where?" he asked.

"In the forest. It's happened at least twice already!"

"Take me there! Now!" he ordered, drawing his sword.

* * *

Despite doing what they could to barricade the entrance, it was no match for the strange grenade thrown upon them which tore away the doors and parts of the wall away, sucking them into a black hole before disappearing entirely. But before they were gone, Noel had already made a move for it, deciding that reaching higher ground was safer than retreating back down the stairs towards the changing rooms.

Moving upwards, she found her way to the sound desk in the far back, ducking under the equipment and stowing herself away under a desk, using the two computers beside her to block any immediate view of her.

Quietly, she listened as the sounds of the creatures storming the theater could be heard, and it was not long before the door to the sound booth was opened. Immediately, her heart began to pound and her fingers dug into her legs, which were bent and pressed against her chest with her knees tucked under her chin.

The area around her was glowing violet and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, knowing they would give her away were she not careful.

Despite her father never saying anything to confirm her suspicions, Noel knew she was different, and she suspected there was more than what her father told her. But he was all she'd known, and she'd grown rather fond of the sweet man. Fond enough that her suspicions mattered little to her and she was perfectly willing to accept her abnormalities without any explanations as to their existence.

That, however, was soon to change.

Unable to watch, she listened closely, trying to hear if the creatures were drawing closer or had dismissed the room as empty and wandered off. For several prolonged moments, there was nothing, but she heard the sounds of the door bursting open, weapons clashing, and armored bodies clattering to the ground. And as soon as it had happened, all was quiet again, and she waited, listening for any signs of any remaining intruders.

When she felt confident she was alone, she slowly opened her eyes, pleased to see the last hint of violet fade away, and she exhaled slowly in relief.

Beside her, a computer was knocked aside, and she cried out in alarm as her eyes flashed bright violet again, fully expecting to see another of the creatures from outside staring at her. Instead, her eyes met with a pair of green ones.

Noel blinked several times as her vision adjusted. It was a pale man with long black hair, clad in leather, staring at her not in malice but with curiosity, almost as though he'd been looking for her.

Loki stared at the frightened young woman, her eyes flashing the exact color he was sure he'd seen them glow outside. His eyes moved from her face to her short blonde hair, over to her pointed ears, where he paused, taking a moment to visually trace out their unusual shape. As she stared back at him in fear, he found himself strangely at a loss as to what he should do with her.

One thing he was certain of, this woman was not human.

"Are they gone?" she asked him at last, calling him out of thought.

Hesitating, Loki nodded, glancing back to the pile of bodies that lay littered about near him. "They are," he confirmed. Holding a hand out, he waited as she looked him over with uncertainty, cautiously accepting his offer as he helped her out from under the desk.

The light leaking in through the open door, allowed him to better see her, and he couldn't help but gawk. She was most certainly not human, but he had no idea what she was. There was an almost ethereal look to her, yet she dressed the same as any other Midgardian he'd seen.

His studying of her was cut short when the sounds of a second wave hitting the theater could be heard, and reaching to one of the bodies, he pulled up a sword, tossing it to her, as he whispered, "Stay close."

Noel hesitated, doubting he wanted her close so he could protect her, but as she looked at the sword in her hand, she knew she would be quickly overpowered if she needed to fight, so she followed the stranger, accepting it as her best chance for survival.

* * *

Thranduil's eyes gazed over the now deceased creatures at the feet of his men, and paced around them with wide eyes. "What are they?" he asked.

"We don't know," Tauriel answered. "They appeared in a strange flash and immediately began to attack so we killed them."

"It's happened twice now," came Legolas' voice as he strode forward. "A bright flash of light, and then these creatures appear, fully armed and eager for a fight."

The elvenking's brow furrowed as he surveyed his surroundings with troubled eyes. "The rift must be opening again," he said. "And now we pay for that fool, Thinor's, recklessness." Turning to his guard he instructed, "In my study, you'll find a small wooden box upon a table. Bring it to me immediately!"

The soldier nodded and hurried off to carry out Thranduil's orders. As he departed, Legolas turned to his father questioningly. "You think this is Thinor's rift?" he asked.

"It could not possibly be anything else," Thranduil answered.

"Then what would you have me do?"

"I would have you stay and defend our borders," Thranduil replied, tracing his hand over the hilt of his sword. "I will see to this menace myself."

"Menace?" Legolas asked. "What do you think is causing this?"

With a dark look in his eyes, Thranduil answered, "This is the work of the Nightingale. And at long last, I shall have her head."

At once, his soldier returned the box clutched between his fingers, and as he handed it to Thranduil, the elvenking positioned himself among the corpses, waiting impatiently for another mysterious flash.

* * *

Noel obeyed the stranger's request, keeping close to him as they made their way through the theater, standing several feet back as he launched himself at the creatures, cutting them down with ease and moving with such grace as he fought, almost as though it were a dance. It wasn't until she saw him stumble slightly, that she realized he was fighting while injured... and completely unaware of the one closing in on him from behind.

"Look out!" she shouted, her feet moving for her though she had intended to stay back, and as the stranger turned, it was just in time to see her run the creature through with her sword.

Noel stood gawking for a moment as the creature staggered, eventually falling back, dead, and she remained, her jaw hanging open and her eyes glowing wildly.

"Fool!" the stranger growled, lumbering over to the corpse to remove her sword from its torso. "Never let go of your weapon!" he warned as he handed it back to her.

"Right..." the muttered awkwardly, watching as he flinched and pressed his hand to his abdomen. "Are you all right?"

Before he could answer her, there came an odd flash, from just outside and a body crashed through the nearby window, knocking Noel off her feet and landing on top of her. Alongside him fell a few others, each of them springing to their feet, drawing their bows on the stranger before he could so much as flinch.

On the ground, long whiteblonde hair spilled over the man's shoulders and into Noel's face, and as the man's head lifted, and his icy eyes fell on her, her own eyes glowed only brighter as she struggled beneath him.

As a child, Noel has suffered nightmares frequently, her mind plagued with visions of blood, death, and darkness. But always in the middle of all of it was a tall man with pointed ears and long whiteblonde hair. Ever since the day she'd first laid eyes on him as a child from her bedroom, he had invaded her nightmares and had become a fearsome icon.

From nearby, she could hear the stranger shift as though to help her, but the sounds of bowstrings beginning to tense stopped him at once, and Noel felt herself be pulled to her feet as the tall man was quickly on his once more. Turning her back towards him, he pinned her to his chest, holding her by the throat in a gentle, yet firm grip, and with his free hand, he drew out a wooden box, flipping the top off with his thumb as he pinched out what lay inside it and held it in front of Noel's face.

It was a gold chain, but on the end of it hung a white stone. The texture and hue immediately reminded her of the one her father kept locked away back home, and as she stared at it in confusion, the man's lips lowered to her ear as he whispered, "Sing."

At this, the stranger's eyes narrowed in confusion, and Noel struggled beneath her attacker's grip.

"You know what this is," he whispered in her ear as her struggling brought her nowhere. "You know how it works. Sing now, or I'll have my men shoot your friend down where he stands."

Noel's eyes fell on the stranger, who did not appear the least bit worried about the threat, and a part of her did not doubt he could easily fight them off. But she saw how his hand still clutched at his abdomen, and she knew if he were to fall while trying to save her, it would be her fault.

"I'll not warn you again, creature!" the man said, his tone growing dark, and again, she could hear the bowstrings tighten.

Looking to the stranger, she said quickly, "My name is Noel," and before the arrows could be released, she opened her mouth, releasing her voice on the room.

The words that left her mouth were not in a tongue either Loki or the tall man were familiar with, but as she sang out, it did not matter. Her voice was ethereal and penetrating, causing them to both halt momentarily, unable to move as though their bodies were insistent on doing nothing but listening. It did not take Loki long to realize it was a spell.

The stone began to glow brightly on its chain, and with a final dangerous look from the tall man, a blinding light engulfed the room, revealing the girl, the tall man, and his men to all have vanished once it faded.

Loki stood dumbfounded. This was not like the portals the mortals had been opening carelessly outside, and these creatures were unlike anything he had seen before. But what was more, that voice was now in his head, weaving its way through his mind and still holding him in somewhat of a haze. Whatever she was, her magic was surprisingly powerful, yet he suspected her harness on it was weak at best.

His curiosity was piqued, and turning, he hurried back outside to see how the battle outside was fairing.

* * *

Noel was tossed none too gently into the grip of two elven soldiers, and while her instincts told her to fight, she became immediately distracted when she looked upon the forest surrounding her. There was a dark sort of gloom to it, making her feel sick to her stomach, and all at once she felt as though she were suffocating under whatever darkness had taken hold of this place.

Dead leaves crunched beneath the elvenking's feet as he drew near to her, looking at her questioningly, and her eyes wandered up to him, still glowing a bright violet.

"You've brought her here?" cried a voice, and another elf approached, staring at the elvenking absolutely appalled. His eyes were very similar to the king's and Noel wondered if they were related.

"I needed her magic to return," the king answered nonchalantly. "She is of no further use to me now, however." Nodding to his men, Noel was forced to her knees, and the king drew his sword.

Her heart was hammering so hard, she was certain they all could hear it. While every fiber of her being wanted to look away, her eyes remained on him, somehow unable to stop staring down her own impending death, and the king cocked his head, seeming to be somewhat impressed by this. He brought the tip of his sword under her chin, forcing her head upwards, and in a voice that almost sounded apologetic, if it weren't for how neutral his expression remained, he said to her, "I'm truly sorry we could not have met upon better terms, creature. But I'm afraid it all ends here for you." He moved the sword away readied himself, holding the blade over his shoulder, ready to bring it down on her. "I promise to make it swift," he added as a final note.

But before the elf could move, Noel, against her better judgment, spoke, up. "My name is Noel."

The king moved to swing his blade, and as if by some sort of reflex, Noel closed her eyes and began to hum.

Thranduil stood frozen. This was the second time that day he had made the mistake of allowing himself to listen to the young woman's voice, and just as it had in her world, it stopped him right in his tracks, the notes soothing and calming, making him suddenly feel the desire to kill her begin to fade, replacing it with a new feeling.

And in his hesitation, Thranduil slowly gave in.

Lowering his blade, he held up his hand to stop his son, who had already begun to move for his bow, and his eyes remained locked on Noel's unable to break his gaze.

From the back of his mind, he began to fight back, finding his voice in time to say, "Take her to the prisons and lock her up." His men all stared at him in confusion and Noel's humming stopped as she stared up at him in surprise. "Do as I say!" Thranduil snapped.

Noel was tugged to her feet as the guards, reluctantly, dragged her off, her eyes remaining on him as long as she could managed, before being pulled out of view, and turning to Tauriel, Thranduil added, "See to it she is muzzled." Tauriel bowed her head in obedience and moved to see that it was done.

"Father-" Legolas protested, but Thranduil held his hand up once again to stop him.

"I have spoken," he muttered, unable to find anything else to say.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Allow me to see if I am understanding the situation correctly." Odin glared down at Thor who knelt before him, humbly, on one knee, his eyes remaining fixed on the Allfather who's eyes were narrowed. "You committed treason, helped your treacherous brother escape my prisons, endangered yourself and the fate of everything by bringing the Aether to Malekith, and now you come before me requesting a favor?"

Thor began to fear his brother's skepticism may have been accurate, but did not allow his discouragement show as he stared back. "We took a risk," he replied. "A foolish one, perhaps, but it worked. Malekith is defeated, and all of existence has been spared from a dark fate. I know I've angered you by going against your orders…" he turned his eyes downwards, trying to make himself look as respectful as possible before finishing his sentence. "…but I strongly feel if we had done nothing, Asgard would have fallen to ruin. I only did what I felt was right."

Odin sat silently, pondering his words, and gradually, Thor lifted his head, waiting patiently for his father to speak.

"You are still reckless… but Asgard still stands because of your actions. And what's more, you are beginning to show wisdom, my son." A smile broke across Thor's face, and he nodded, knowing he had Odin's forgiveness.

"Thank you," he said.

"Now, what of this favor you've come to ask of me?"

"It's about Loki," said Thor, rising to his feet. "On Svartalfheim, he fought bravely. Even put his own life in danger to save mine. But more than that, he protected Jane, and not only when it was requested of him." He retold the story of their trick on Svartalfheim that had fooled Malekith and Kurse and the battle that had followed. When he mentioned the grenade that had been cast in Jane and Loki's direction, and how he had cast her aside, nearly dying from trying to save her, Odin sat back, stroking his beard contemplatively.

"Loki has still not fully returned to us, but I believe with time he will. And because of that I would like to see his sentence reduced… if not his freedom granted." Taking a deep breath, Thor waited for Odin's answer.

But before the answer could come, the doors flew open and a guard marched in, kneeling down apologetically once he reached the throne. "My Lord, Odin!" he called, looking up. "Apologies for the interruption, but Heimdall has summoned you and insists it's urgent."

"What for?" Odin asked, sitting up.

"Something has happened on Midgard…"

Thor's expression darkened. _Brother, what have you done now?_

* * *

It was late in the evening before Noel had her first visitor.

Or... at least it was what she assumed was the evening. From inside her cell there were no windows, and the palace itself was enclosed within the trees of Mirkwood, hindering her ability to see the sky even if she was anywhere else in the palace. The best she could guess was that it had been several hours since the elves had left her, bound and muzzled.

At first, she had struggled, attempting to free herself even though she knew she would not succeed. Sitting back and accepting her fate was not an immediate option to her, so she had struggled until her wrists were raw. When the desire to keep trying faded, she curled up in the farthest corner and rested her head against the stone wall, tears of frustration rolling down her cheeks. Several minutes later she gave one final burst of a struggle, tugging at her chains and even tore at the muzzle with her fingers a bit.

That had been over an hour ago, and now she found herself laying on her back in the center of the cell, staring up at the ceiling and very bored.

Since there was, shockingly, little to do in a prison cell, she had no choice but to lay there and think. As her mind wandered, she thought about the strange man who had come to her aid in the theater. Had he told anyone what he'd seen? Had he enlisted the aid of anyone to try to find her? Where would they even begin?

She raised her head an inch and let it thunk back to the floor, rolling her eyes as she groaned. Even if anyone was looking, no one would find her.

Her mind went to her father and she felt a stab of guilt. He would worry. He would worry a lot.

Would the strange man be able to tell him what he saw? All she'd given him was her first name, and while she suspected it would not be enough, she hoped it would help a little.

Footfalls broke her train of thought, and she turned her head to the side meeting the gaze of a female elf, who looked down at her curiously. "Your eyes are no longer glowing," she commented as she looked her over. "Are you no longer afraid, then?"

Noel blinked, unable to speak, and she watched as the elf seated herself just outside the cell.

"My name is Tauriel," she said, introducing herself. "You must be very confused right now, and while my lord will not permit me to enlighten you even a little... I feel that after having been plucked from your world and brought here, only to be treated in this manner, perhaps a little company would cause no harm."

Again, all Noel could do was blink in response, and the elf looked at her muzzle as if she were considering removing it for a moment.

"There are so many questions I wish I could ask you," she mused, regret in her eyes. "Here you are, someone who has seen another world entirely, with so many stories you could tell... and you can't even speak." She sighed and sat back. "If only things were different..."

Noel stared back at her, thinking of a few questions she wished she could ask, herself, when her mind was pulled out of thought by the sounds of music making its way through the halls. On instinct, Noel picked her head up from the floor, looking in the direction of the music, her eyes widening with interest, and the elf watched her reaction curiously.

"You enjoy music?" she asked, and Noel nodded, moving to her feet and approaching the bars, leaning against them in an attempt to see where the music was coming from. "Our king encourages there to be music in the evening," the elf explained. "Usually, after dinner our halls fill with it."

Noel's body relaxed against the bars, smiling within the muzzle, and for the first time since her arrival, she felt at peace, listening as the tune echoed faintly through the halls, a few voices entwined with the instruments.

"They say that to be one of the nightingale is to possess a voice both beautiful and deadly," Tauriel said. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about your voice."

There was a long pause, allowing for more of the music to fill their ears, and as the repetition of the tune began to embed itself in her head, Noel began to hum along to it, her voice flowing with ease along with the instruments.

At once, Tauriel stiffened, looking as though she were about to stop her, and Noel watched her, waiting to see what the elf would do. For moment, she was met with fierce eyes, but as she continued to hum, the elf sat back, seeming to decide it was safe to listen.

And so, for the next several minutes, Noel hummed along with the music, feeling it flow through her veins. As it built in momentum and volume, she felt her spirits begin to lift, closing her eyes to shut out all other distractions in an attempt to truly lose herself in the music.

She didn't know how long it was before Tauriel managed to pull her out of it, but just as she felt as though she were about to plunge from the edge of a cliff into the rushing current of the song, she was jerked back to reality when Tauriel's hand clasped down on her shoulder.

At once she stopped and she opened her eyes, meeting Tauriel's gaze. For a moment, the elf looked like she was at a loss for words, but after a moment she whispered with a smile, "Thank you." Turning to leave, she only took a few steps before she stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "If you promise not to do that again... I might see what I can smuggle you from the kitchens."

For the second time since her arrival, Noel smiled, though it was hidden under the muzzle.

* * *

Sitting around the breakfast table, an uncomfortable silence began to bother Jane as she munched away at her bowl of cereal. Darcy scraped some butter on her toast as she sat next to her intern, and Erik sat with a plate full of food, choosing to ignore it to stare distrustfully at Loki, who sat next to him, staring back with an amused grin, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable he made the man.

"It's been almost two days..." said Erik, directing his statement at Jane though his eyes remained on Loki. "Are you sure there's been no word from Thor yet?"

"You'd know it if there had been," Jane answered with a mouth full. "He had a lot of explaining to do back there. We kind of... committed treason when we left..."

"Besides, didn't it take him like two years last time?" asked Darcy, looking up at Erik.

"He promised it wouldn't take that long this time," Jane said quickly, noticing the way Erik stiffened at Darcy's question.

"Good," Erik said, finally looking away and turning his attention to his plate, unable to stand the trickster's gaze a moment longer.

"I see you put on pants today," Loki stated with a mischievous grin and Erik slammed stabbed his plate with his fork, looking up at the wall and letting out an irritated huff, his nostrils flaring.

"I'm not hungry," he grumbled, rising from his seat, and he headed back for his room, slamming the door behind him.

Jane shot a dirty look at the trickster and sighed. "You're an ass," she snapped, but before another word could be said by anyone, there came a bright flash from just outside the sliding glass door.

"Looks like Muscles is back," said Darcy with a grin as Jane jumped up from her seat and ran to the door. Jane had barely opened it before Thor marched through, heading straight for Loki who simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"A word. Now!" Thor snapped. Loki sighed, taking a final drink from his glass of orange juice before rising and gesturing to the hall. The two of them made their way into the room he had been sharing with Darcy's intern. It was a small room with a single twin bed and a sleeping bag on the floor.

Thor, knowing his brother too well, did not need to ask who had been made to sleep in the sleeping bag.

Closing the door behind them, Loki stepped in front of the mirror, beginning to remove his tunic as he spoke. "While I'm already certain I know the answer, I must admit a curiosity as to how your little talk with Odin went."

Thor watched as Loki pulled his tunic up and over his head, inspecting his wound in the mirror. When Kurse had run him through, there had been a moment of fear when the wound did not immediately heal. They had discovered quickly that the blade had been laced with some type of venom meant to prevent it from healing, and while Loki had been strong enough to overpower it, he was not strong enough to heal it nearly as fast as they would have liked.

Looking at it, Thor noted the wound was significantly smaller and the redness was fading, but it was still not fully healed. There was no doubt it would leave behind a scar.

"Father has his reservations still," Thor answered, at last. "But when I told him of your efforts to keep Jane safe, he became willing to listen to my plea."

"And what of my freedom?" Loki asked, turning his head to meet Thor's gaze.

"That has yet to be decided," Thor answered with a frown. "Though it seems unlikely you'll avoid spending more time in the prisons, there is a chance your sentence will be shortened."

"I see…" Loki sighed, tracing his fingers over his wound as he inspected it further. "So instead of eternity, perhaps only a couple thousand years…"

"Loki…"

"I'm not made to be kept in a cage, Brother!" Loki snarled, turning his eyes back up to Thor.

"That is not the reason why I've come here!" Thor growled back. "Why did you not speak of what you saw?"

Loki blinked, taken aback. "What?"

"During the battle. There was a woman. She was taken and you saw it happen."

His expression softening, Loki nodded. "Oh... that."

"Why did you not speak of it?" Thor repeated.

With a half smile, Loki asked, "Would you have believed me?" Thor sighed and shook his head. His curiosity piqued, Loki asked, "It was not a part of the convergence, was it?"

"No," confirmed Thor. "But what's more, what took place allowed Heimdall to see something none of us would have thought possible."

A wicked smile spread to Loki's face. "Go on..."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Noel lay in her cell, her eyes closed as she made herself appear to be deep in sleep, waiting patiently for the right moment to throw her plan into play. If she successfully escaped her cell, one of two things would happen. She would either recover the stone and use it to return home, or she'd simply flee from the elven realm, hoping to find friendlier creatures in this new world.

As she waited, she replayed her plan over and over again in her head. Having dealt with so many of them in the past, if there was one thing she knew, it was that nothing ever drove someone to her aid faster than the sounds of her suffering a nightmare. Her nightmares had always sent her father running to her side, even into adulthood. It was as though her wailing and muffled cries of fear were too much for him to bear. If her voice had half the effect Tauriel seemed to imply it did, she was positive her plan would work.

There was only one part she needed. It was not the guards she wanted to drive running to her aid.

She had seen the effect her voice had on the king, and her plan to get home hinged on him still having the stone on his person. He needed to be the one she summoned, and if he was really planning on eventually executing her, she was certain it meant he would pass by her cell eventually.

She had already decided, however, if he did not show up tonight, she would lure the guards instead and make her escape from the palace. Either way, she would not be left to starve.

An hour went by. Then two. Noel's stomach ached and she was tired of laying there with nothing to do but listen and wait. She could hear the guards occasionally exchange words as they relieved each other from duty, and once or twice she could hear the passing conversation of two elves walking past her cell door, pretending they had somewhere to be, but clearly only passing by so they could catch a brief glimpse of her.

From what little she'd gathered from the conversations, her arrival had caused quite the stir. And it was apparent that not everyone was pleased with the king's decision to lock her up rather than kill her.

If she hadn't directly posed a threat, she wondered why they hated her so much.

Footfalls began to echo from the farthest end of the prison and Noel waited, deciding that if this was not him, she would go ahead with her plan, unwilling to wait any longer.

There was something in the sound their stride that gave her hope. They were not clumsy or mindless steps, and they were not rushed either. They were steady and almost full of purpose. Laying with her eyes shut and only listening had allowed her to be able to determine the difference in sounds, and while she may have simply been going mad with hunger, she couldn't picture those sounds belonging to anyone other than the king.

When the guard posted outside her cell suddenly shifted and said, "My lord!" her heart began to pound. There were a few moments of silence, and soon Noel felt his eyes on her.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's been sleeping soundly for the past few hours," the guard answered.

Trying to make it look as real as she could, Noel shifted slightly, letting out a small grunt. The two behind her fell silent, but she lay still, resuming a regular sleeping pattern.

"Her stomach's been making quite the fuss," the guard continued. "Are we to continue denying her food?"

Thranduil did not answer right away, but watched her for a few moments, his eyes full of conflict.

"My lord?" the guard inquired. Thranduil opened his mouth to speak, but Noel made another move, rolling over so she was facing them, flinching and stirring as she let out another grunt. Her fingers twitched and her brow furrowed.

Thranduil turned so he was fully facing her and slowly strode closer to the cell, looking in on her, almost in concern. Noel gradually built up her whimpering and twitching, eventually jerking her head to the side while making an even louder noise.

"What's wrong with her?" asked the guard.

"A nightmare, I think," Thranduil answered, watching her closely.

This was it. Noel knew she needed to throw fear and panic into her voice or it would never work. Focusing, she thought back on what gruesome images she could of her previous nightmares, trying to regain the terror she'd felt when she had them, her pulse beginning to race. She thought of blood, those icy eyes, the feeling of an overwhelming rage and darkness consuming her. She thought on all of it until the images in her mind became too vivid, and with a violent thrash, she let out a muffled scream against the muzzle.

Thranduil's breathing hitched as he watched her once again thrash, her nails clawing at the stone floor beneath her, and again she let out a scream against the muzzle. He could feel her terror, her urgent need to be rescued. While there was clearly nothing in the waking world she needed rescuing from, his ability to stand there and watch her suffer whatever she was facing in her nightmares faded and he signaled the guard forward.

"Unlock her cell," he ordered. "Now!"

"But my lord..."

"Now!" Thranduil snapped, firing a warning glare at the guard. The elf nodded in obedience and hastily approached the door, unlocking it with a loud clunk. Noel soon felt a pair of hands on her, shaking her to wake her, and as her eyes snapped open, she looked into the elvenking's eyes pleadingly arching her back in an attempt to shake herself from his grasp. At once she began to claw at her muzzle, not once breaking eye contact as she continued to scream.

In her mind, she focused, beginning to think out a message she wanted to get across to him in her voice. "The muzzle! Please take it off! Take it off! I can't breathe!"

Thranduil shifted nervously, watching her with a mixture of distrust and worry, but at last he raised his hands, his fingers beginning to fumble with the straps.

"What are you doing?" cried a voice from just outside the cell, and Noel's eyes looked over his shoulder to see Legolas standing there, watching with outrage. Thranduil did not answer him, but instead continued to undo the muzzle, pulling it free from Noel's face and casting it aside.

Noel let out a gasp of relief, her hand flying to her face to massage her sore jawline and irritated skin, her eyes returning to the king who watched her with concern. "You have your voice," he said, taking hold of her chin. "Now speak! What is the matter?"

His gaze was fierce, but Noel did not back down. Instead she opened her mouth her voice cracking at first from the leftover dry feeling in the back of her throat from screaming, but as she found her hold on it, she sang a slow, calming tune meant to make them stop in their tracks before they could silence her again.

If they really wanted to treat her like a dangerous monster, then they would have a dangerous monster.

Her voice flowed from her mouth, engulfing first the elvenking, then the guard and finally Legolas, who had already begun to march his way to her cell with the clear intent of stopping her, only to stop himself and remain frozen, a sort of glazed expression coming over his features as he watched her, assuming a more relaxed stance.

Thranduil's body recoiled from her slightly, his hands resting in his lap and his shoulders relaxing. Not taking her eyes off him, Noel raised herself to her feet and slowly stepped around him and to the guard, removing the keys from his hand, finding that his fingers were barely even gripping them. It took a few attempts, but she found the one to her shackles and unchained herself.

Trying to keep her excitement our of her voice was a challenge. She had never done anything like this before. She had always sensed some sort of ability of manipulation in her voice, but never anything like this. To actually test it and see it work so beautifully astounded her. But her tone needed to remain calm, or else she risked the three elves suddenly being filled with the same surge of energy and it would all be ruined. She needed to focus, and she did her best to keep her mind on the task at hand.

Moving to the king once more, rubbing her raw wrists, she looked over his body, the next stage of her plan in mind. She needed that stone back, and because she didn't know how long her spell would hold, she reminded herself if it wasn't on his person, she would flee instead. There was no doubt in her mind that once the spell faded she would be killed if she was within arms' reach.

Kneeling down, Noel pushed open his crimson robe he wore over his silvery attire, her fingers reaching for his collar as she found the clasp to open it fully. She frowned. The stone was not around his neck not tucked under his shirt. Throwing modesty aside, she felt him over, searching for every pocket his clothing might hide, but to no avail. He did not have it on him.

Pausing momentarily, she grit her teeth and cursed. Thranduil blinked as if waking from a dream, and lazily met her eyes. "Monster..." he breathed.

Angrily, she seized him by the collar. "My fucking name is Noel!" she snapped. "And I'm not the monster!" Throwing him down, she ran from the cell, stopping as she approached Legolas, who was still deep in the fog, and she removed his quiver and bow, as well as the dagger he had fastened to his hip.

"Good bye, guys," she said bitterly, turning around for a final look. "It's been fun."

* * *

Bill stirred when he heard the front door knock, rising quickly from his seat to open it eagerly. It had only been a few days, but it seemed like months since his daughter had disappeared. To have a knock at an odd hour made him hope that perhaps she'd returned, or the police had found something.

What he hadn't expected was to find a woman named Jane accompanied by two oddly dressed men, one of which he recognized immediately from the news clips he'd seen of the attack in London. Normally he would have been excited to see the one they called Thor standing at his door, but given the circumstances, he was underwhelmed. "Oh," he said simply, unable to hide his disappointment. "Can I help you?"

"Uh..." Jane stammered, realizing she had no idea where to begin. "May we come in? It's about your daughter." Bill's eyes brightened and he nodded, eagerly ushering them inside, his friendly nature still in tact despite his depressed mood.

The three stepped inside, both Thor and Loki looking over the surroundings curiously while Jane cleared her throat to explain their arrival. He lead them into the living room and threw on a pot of tea before joining them to listen to Loki retell what he'd see take place in the theater.

"And they just disappeared?" Bill asked to clarify, crossing his arms.

"The stone glowed until I could no longer see them, and when the light faded, they were gone," Loki confirmed.

All three of them watched him as if they had expected him to question the validity of the story, but instead Bill sat thoughtfully, seeming to take it all in with sincerity.

"And the man..." Bill asked. "You said he was like Noel?"

"His ears were pointed, like hers," Loki explained. "And he had a fairness to him that was very inhuman."

Bill rose from his seat, holding up a finger. "One moment..." he said, stepping out of the room and down the hall. When he returned he held a news article in one hand while the other was closed tight around something they couldn't see. Handing the article to Loki, he pointed to a photograph of what appeared to be a dead man laying beside a basket that contained a newborn. "Similar to this?" he asked, pointing to the man. Loki's eyes narrowed as he took a look.

"Precisely," he answered. "Though his manner of dress was far more regal." Looking up and meeting his gaze, Loki asked, "Your daughter's not from around here, is she?"

Bill frowned and shook his head. "She's not."

* * *

Tree branches swept past Noel's face as she ran into the darkness, trying to ignore the growing gloom that seemed to spread inside her. Whatever curse had taken the woods, it felt far stronger at night, and she began to regret her decision to flee under cover of darkness. Yet she kept moving, unwilling to stop and give herself over to whatever lay in the forest. She had come this far. Giving up now would be foolish.

Back at the palace, once Thranduil was able to bring himself to his feet, he began shouting out orders angrily to the guards. "Search the forest!" he cried. "Do not let her get away!"

"My lord," Tauriel objected. "Venturing into the woods at night is a death sentence! We should wait til dawn."

"We cannot risk her escape! Find her now!" he ordered.

It wasn't long before Noel heard the sounds of footsteps all around her, knowing that the elves were already pursuing her. She felt her panic begin to rise, and forcing herself to think of all the terrible things they could do to her with their weapons, she managed to make her eyes glow violet, using their light to help her see her way through the dark, though it didn't matter much. She had no idea where she was going.

As she moved, her foot caught on something that twisted around her ankle, and she fell face first into something sticky. Picking her head up, she looked around to notice several long thick cords of sticky material surrounding her. Her heart jumped. Webs. Suddenly remembering the spider from her childhood, her eyes glowed bright enough to see the creature beginning to skitter forward, its many eyes all watching her hungrily.

Not wanting to give away her location, Noel bit back a scream, and used the dagger she'd lifted from Legolas to cut herself free, jumping to her feet to throw herself at the spider, plunging the blade into its head. The creature collapsed, its legs curling beneath it, and Noel pulled the blade back, looking over her shoulder as she heard the footfalls draw closer.

Looking up, she grabbed hold of some of the webbing that had engulfed one of the trees, and used it to pull her way up, deciding the trees were her best chance of hiding, though she would have to keep her eyes open for spiders. She pulled her way up the trunk and into the branches, reaching a level high enough and surrounded in enough leaves that she felt safe, and seated herself on a branch, waiting silently while trying to calm herself so her eyes would not give her away.

It wasn't long before she saw guards begin to venture their way towards the nest, stopping when they saw the webs and looked inwards with hesitation. "If she's in there," one of them said, "She could not have survived the spiders." Turning he ordered, "We search elsewhere!"

The elves turned and left, making Noel smile with relief. Now she was certain they would never find her where she was. All that was left was to wait til dawn. Keeping her blade close to her, she kept a watch for spiders or anything else that could possibly prey on her.

* * *

"I had planned to eventually tell her," Bill explained as he handed out cups of tea to his company. "But... it's like somewhere along the way, I forgot she wasn't mine." He sat himself down, shaking his head as he took a sip. "No, that's not right. She was mine. She was always my daughter. Genetics didn't change that. I guess I just never saw the need to tell her." He paused for a moment and sighed. "You know... sometimes I almost suspect she knew any ways."

"You never learned anything about her true parentage or of her home land?" Thor asked.

"No," he answered. "Noel was just suddenly there. The only thing we learned for sure was the man who had her was her father. Other than that, we never found out his name, where he came from, or anything about her mother for that matter. It was like they both just fell from the sky."

Thor frowned and looked to Jane. "I fear we'll not find anything of use here," he said.

"You plan to look for her?" Bill asked, looking to Thor. "Are you going after the man that took her?"

"That is the plan," Thor confirmed. "We believe the man who took your daughter is from another world, and if that is the case then it needs to be dealt with. The nine realms we know of, my people have always tried to ensure that peace exists among them as much as possible. We cannot have one that assumes kidnapping citizens of other worlds is acceptable."

"Then you have a way to go after her?" he asked. Thor paused, lowering his eyes.

"We have one option available to us... but we were hoping that perhaps you could confirm there was another way."

"The white stone?" Bill asked.

"The man who took her seemed to be under the impression that she had not only seen one before, but that she knew how to use it as well," Loki spoke up. "We thought that maybe she'd had one she kept here as well? Assuming it was not on her person at the time of the attack."

"You mean this?" Bill asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a necklace made of black cord with a stone hanging from it. Loki's eyes flickered and he nodded.

"Exactly like that."

"This was on her the night she appeared," Bill said, handing it to Loki. "But I had to lock it away. Weird things started happening."

"What sort of things?" asked Jane.

Bill hesitated, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "I've never told anyone about this. I didn't think they'd believe me..."

"Tell us," said Thor.

"My daughter has... an unusual gift," he explained, sitting back. "Its her voice. She has a way of communicating through sound unlike anything I've ever seen before. But when she sings..."

"It's like being under an enchantment," Loki stated, causing Bill to look at him in surprise before nodding.

"Yeah. I didn't worry about it at first, but then, whenever she'd sing while wearing that necklace... things started happening..." He recalled the stories of strange animals arriving terrified and confused in her bedroom, up until the night of the spider. "It crawled in through her wall."

"She was creating portals," gasped Jane in surprise, her eyes moving to the necklace. "What sort of stone is that?"

"I've never had it examined," said Bill with a shrug. "And I'm a mortician. The only stones I'm somewhat familiar with are the ones that let people know where you've been planted."

"May I?" asked Loki, holding his hand out. Bill placed the stone in his palm and Loki held it up to the light, looking it over closely.

"You know it?" asked Thor, but Loki shook his head, seeming disappointed.

"It's just quartzite," he replied looking it over. "Perfectly ordinary..." His eyes moved back to Bill questioningly. "You are certain this is the necklace?"

"Absolutely," Bill persisted. Loki sighed and held it up again, tracing his fingers over it thoughtfully, pausing in mid-stroke as if something caught his attention.

"Magic," he replied, turning his eyes to Thor. "Someone's placed an enchantment on this stone. I'll even wager it was meant to respond to her voice alone."

"So then we can't use it?" asked Jane.

"I didn't say that," Loki answered, turning his eyes back to Bill. "I'll be needing this."

"Take it," said Bill, completely willing to concede. "That thing's been more trouble to me than it's worth."

Loki pocketed the stone and turned to Thor, nodding in silent communication, and both Thor and Jane got to their feet as he rose. "I guess we have all we need," said Jane, looking to Bill. "Thanks for your time."

"Will you find her then?" Bill asked as he got to his feet as well.

"We will try," confirmed Thor.

Bill nodded, his face full of worry as he pleaded with the demigod, "Please... bring her home. She means everything to me. I don't know what I'd do if..." his voice trailed off and Thor placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I promise you, we will find her and return her to you safely." Bill smiled sadly and nodded.

"Thank you," he whispered.

* * *

A twig snapped from below, and Noel peered down, expecting to see another spider start to creep out from the nest. Instead, she saw a familiar head full of long white blonde hair gracefully make its way beneath her, his sword drawn as he looked around. Noel kept still, watching silently as he searched for her. His movements were slightly off, and she realized the full effect of her spell had not completely faded yet, though he seemed determined to fight it off anyways.

She expected him to do the same thing the guards had done and simply decide the nest was not worth the risk, turning to leave her to her fate, and indeed he did stop at its entrance, looking in with uncertainty. "You must be in there," he called. "I can feel you." Noel's jaw clenched and she held the branch beside her tighter, hoping beyond hope that he would not look up and see her.

The elvenking stepped inwards, walking through the webs with some difficulty as his boots caught in their sticky strands. There came the sound of rustling ahead, and she turned her eyes to see several of the creatures beginning to crawl out of hiding, each of them eyeing Thranduil hungrily, as if her were a fly who had willingly flown into their web. Holding his sword before him, he pressed on, clearly prepared to battle the spiders if he needed to.

The first one to lung at him was sliced in half with ease, the next springing almost too quickly, but Thranduil plunged his blade deep into the creature's abdomen. A third leaped in from the side, and while it managed to land, Thranduil knocked it away, moving to withdraw his sword while the other spiders closed in.

It became apparent very quickly that he would not win this fight. All Noel needed to do was sit and wait, the drowsiness of her spell slowing the elf considerably, leaving him no match for the swarm of spiders closing in on him. She simply needed to wait.

And yet, as she watched the elf struggle, her conscience began to tug at her. If he died, which she was certain he would, it would be because of her. Having worked alongside her father on occasion, death was not a foreign or frightening concept to her. Watching someone die, on the other hand, was entirely different.

And watching someone die while choosing to do nothing...

She couldn't do it. While she knew he would most likely not show her the same mercy, she couldn't just sit there and let it happen, no matter how much he might have deserved it for kidnapping her, locking her away, and leaving her to starve.

Looking down, she opened her mouth and emitted a high pitched tone, causing the spiders to stop in their tracks. Unsure of how one could communicate with spiders in the first place, Noel decided to try what she had done before when she needed her muzzle removed and focused words into her voice, singing as she made her way down from the tree and towards the elvenking, who now had his eyes on her.

"_Go back... go back..._" she sang, finding her footing at the base of the tree. "_You cannot have him. You don't want him. There are better things to feed on. Go back..._"

Thranduil watched her, seeming stunned by her actions, and while Noel knew she should be absolutely terrified, she found strength in her voice as she moved closer to Thranduil, watching as the spiders slowly began to crawl back. "_His flesh will make you sick, his blood will make you weak. Feed on other things instead, but leave him alone.__ Go back!_"

One by one, the spiders turned, crawling back into their hiding spots, leaving Noel and Thranduil standing alone in the nest. Noel felt exhausted, realizing a great deal of her energy had been expended with the spell, and she looked to Thranduil, who watched as the last of the spiders disappeared, seeming to struggle to find his voice.

The guards swarmed in from behind and Noel silently cursed herself. She should have run when she had the chance. She knew there was no way she could muster up a spell at that moment to escape.

"The king has caught her!" called Tauriel's voice, making Thranduil stir out of thought. He looked over his shoulder at his men, then back down at Noel who looked frustrated and defeated, knowing she would either die or be sent back to her cell.

"This must end, Father!" came Legolas' voice among them. "She's proven the sort of trouble she can cause, and you know it will only get worse. We must end this. Now."

Noel felt her heart sink in despair, too tired to fight back, and she looked to the king, waiting for him to announce her fate.

Thranduil's expression had softened considerably as he looked at her, and with a deep sigh he shook his head. "I would be dead, if not for you," he said to her, his voice loud enough so the others could hear. "And I am not one to let a good deed go unrewarded." He turned to the guards. "Escort Noel inside to the dining hall and offer her a hot meal."

Noel's eyes widened in surprise, both at the mercy and at the use of her name. Tauriel bowed her head in obedience and turned to Noel, gesturing to the palace. "This way."


End file.
